


Glaciate

by Dark_Puck



Series: We Can't Afford to be Innocent [5]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII, Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-10
Updated: 2016-04-18
Packaged: 2018-06-01 12:38:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,987
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6520012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dark_Puck/pseuds/Dark_Puck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Xaldin's repeated failed attempts to retrieve Rufus and Tseng, Zexion recruits the Organization's newest member to the task. There's more to Demyx than meets the eye, and he hopes that Demyx and his water clones will succeed where Xaldin has failed...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Tsunami

**Author's Note:**

> This work takes place approximately three years before the events of [Permafrost](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4312374) and four years before the events of _Kingdom Hearts_.
> 
> This fic has been rated "T" for violence and near-drowning.

Demyx hadn't been a member of the Organization for very long. Still, he thought it was just as well that _he_ had made the attempt to play the shadows to their doom rather than his sisters. He wasn't sure humans were a delicacy they would willingly give up.

Surprisingly, it hadn't taken him long at all to get used to walking. Getting away from Vexen had been a strong motivator, admittedly, and learning to control water instead of swimming through it a good excuse.

The clone-forms were a happy accident, one he never would have discovered by practising magic as Vexen had shown him. Even as a merman, instruments had been his forté, and water simply _responded_ better when he played. Why else would his sympathetic weapon manifest as a sitar?

He'd only been fooling around, caught in a tide of music that sufficed for emotion, when he'd playfully voiced the cry, " **Dance, water, dance!** "

And dance the water had.

The land was a strange place. Strange enough that Demyx sometimes wondered if the other eight thought him a fool for the things he didn't know that they took for granted. But even he could see the potential inherent in the water clones, and set himself to perfecting his control.

The more _they_ could do, the less _he_ would have to.

It was, however, imperative that nobody discovered his little trick. He was more entertainer than he was fighter, so there was value in the persona he'd crafted: lazy, bumbling, just skilled enough to be worth his feed...

(Then again, he thought he recalled Xaldin saying that before his arrival, the World That Never Was had had no water at all. What had they drunk before then, beer?)

Still, _thirst_ was a new concept. One he wasn't sure he liked.

With a flourish, he ended the song, and the clones splashed at once to the floor. Without his power sustaining it, the water quickly evaporated, leaving the air humid enough that, had any of the others been awake, they would likely complain.

He grinned at his success, even though he felt no real pride in the control he'd gained—

But apparently he could still be startled, for when applause reached his ears, he whirled and nearly overbalanced when the sitar threatened to keep him spinning.

"Well played," said Zexion, piercing blue eyes seeming to see straight through him. "You keep your weapon finely tuned."

Unused to compliments from _any_ sector, let alone his new superiors, Demyx stared dumbly at him as he approached. He wasn't ever certain what to make of Zexion as it was, especially since he and Lexaeus had begun partnering up.

He was fairly confident he could approach one or the other separately, but as a pair they were too intimidating to think about.

And now Zexion was approaching _him_ , with a thoughtful expression that Demyx didn't trust. "And the dance was well-conducted," the Schemer added. Yep, there was work in his future.

Still, the compliment had to be acknowledged — and deflected. Forcing a chuckle, Demyx dismissed the weapon he'd dubbed Basic Model. "I was just messing around," he lied. "Music sounds weird out of water."

Zexion didn't bother changing his expression to sceptical. Instead, he mused, "I wouldn't try that excuse on Saïx. He might decide you've more power than you claim, and expect more work out of you."

Despite himself, Demyx shuddered. Work. No, thank you.

The Schemer all but grinned. "I'll make a bargain with you, IX. Do one favour for me, and Saïx won't learn of your new skill — from me, anyway."

The nice thing about not having a heart was that he didn't actually _feel_ wary about this 'favour' Zexion wanted from him. He'd never been good at controlling his face. Of course, he realised a moment later, it would be unwise to refuse.

A Founder was being friendly, or at least coming off as friendly.

So he put a lazy grin on his face, like it was no big deal, and said, "What's the favour?" He wasn't dumb enough to agree sight unseen — or whatever the auditory equivalent was — to any favour. Down that path lay nets, or his hungry sisters.

Fortunately, Zexion apparently wasn't in a mood to be coy. "It's simple enough," he said. "You wouldn't have heard yet, but there's a world known as Hollow Bastion, ruled by the fairy Maleficent. In that world is are two whole boys — Rufus and Tseng. We need Rufus."

"...why?" Demyx asked, confused.

Zexion ignored the question, instead creating an illusion of a young boy, maybe five or six years old. At least Demyx thought so; he wasn't good at human ages. "This is Rufus. It's been some years since I saw him, so he'll be older, but the basic features won't have changed." Another illusion was created, a taller boy with black hair. Something about him reminded Demyx of Xaldin. "This is Tseng. I don't doubt he's serving as Rufus' guard."

Demyx studied the illusions for a moment, then raised his gaze to Zexion's face. "You've sent others out after them," he said. "Who?"

There was a subtle alteration in Zexion's smile — almost like he was pleased by the question. "Xaldin is the only one who has attempted to bring Rufus in."

Xaldin was _scary_. And grumpy. How could he fail to bring in two kids? And if he'd failed, how could Demyx succeed? He was about to ask that very question when he took a second look at the illusion of Tseng.

"Okay, so what's the connection between him and that Tseng kid? Please don't say they're related."

"If you come back with them, I'll tell you," Zexion answered.

Demyx bit back the huffy noise that threatened to escape him. "What happens if I come back with Tseng but not Rufus?"

Zexion shrugged as though he didn't care. "Then it should be easy to get Rufus after that."

Demyx didn't like it, but what other option did he have? At least Zexion was wrapping his 'request' in a veneer of pleasantry. It was a nice change from Vexen's shrill demands.

The trap was sprung, he thought sourly, but at least the bait was tasty.

Still, he didn't think Zexion was trying to get him killed. Use him, definitely — but that meant the elder Nobody thought he might succeed. Glancing down — down? — at Zexion, he suddenly realised the Schemer was younger than he was.

Zexion blinked once, and then suddenly the image of a younger boy was gone, and Demyx's eyes were aimed too low.

What in Calypso's name...?

Hastily he said, "All right, I'll do it."

 _Of course you will_ , said Zexion's smile.

Demyx could no longer feel nervous.

He gulped anyway.

~*~*~*~

It was a beautiful day in Radiant Garden, for a change. Despite Rufus' insistence on calling the world by its true name, Reno found himself thinking of it as Radiant Garden on good days and Hollow Bastion on bad ones.

Not only was it a Garden day, Maleficent has actually released Tseng from his lessons. That meant a meeting with her offworld allies, and on days like this the witch took extra care against eavesdroppers.

Rather than beat his head against magic he lacked the raw power and expertise to break, Tseng elected to lead them all on a hunt.

Heartless, they'd found, generally left nonsentient animals alone, and Rude had made sure Rufus and Tseng could ride. In turn, Tseng had taught Rude and Reno basic magic.

There'd been no sign of the man Tseng called Xaldin in months,  but Reno knew better than to assume that they'd chased him off for good, that Rufus was safe. And sure enough, as they set out, Tseng said, "Don't let your guard down. The Organization's been quiet for longer than I like."

Reno glanced at the older boy sharply. Had anyone else heard the mingled pain and longing in his voice?

He'd been in Castle Town when the Heartless attacked, but Tseng and Rufus had been within the castle itself. They'd known the men who founded the Organization. And while Tseng implied he was nothing more than the son of servants, he wielded that spear of his with trained skill.

Xaldin used spears, too, and there was a weird subtext whenever he spoke to Tseng, one that worried Reno.

Well, he'd discuss it with Rude later. Right now, he wanted to get a mile or two away from the castle and the touch of Maleficent's magic.

Trouble didn't strike until they stopped for lunch. The chocobos were tethered a safe distance away — nobody wanted to deal with tracking down four spooked chocobos again — and the four of them had settled down to eat, albeit with weapons close to hand. Reno had just taken a huge bite from a succulent plum when a black portal suddenly erupted into being. A blond teenager stepped out, wearing the same cloak Xaldin wore.

Reno was on his feet in an instant, pipe in hand, the plum still between his lips. He glanced to Tseng for orders, and dropped the plum when he saw _confusion_ on the older boy's face. Catching the fruit in his right hand, Reno pointed his pipe at the stranger. "Who're you and what d'you want?" he demanded.

Xaldin generally dealt with Reno's attitude by ignoring him. To his surprise, the blond affected offence. "Now, that's not nice at all!" he protested. "Maybe I'm lost and I'm looking for the best route to Singapore."

"And maybe chocobos fly," snapped Rufus.

The stranger's eyes flicked to Rufus, and Reno promptly sidestepped to block his line of sight, earning an unfriendly grin. "You can call me Demyx," he said, raising an arm over his head. "And I'll be leaving with Rufus."

Water condensed out of the air, surrounding Demyx in a cascade that ran up his body and formed a bubble over his empty hand. It dropped onto the hand and popped, splashing into a bright blue instrument taller than all of them — including Demyx.

Before any of them, even Tseng, could process the ridiculous thing, Demyx swung it down and struck a chord that thrummed with power. _That_ shed Reno's temporary paralysis.

" **Thunder!** "

But Demyx's cry drowned Reno's out.

" **Dance, water, dance!** "

Lightning struck from just above Demyx's head—

But the blond was no longer there, and the bolt struck a humanlike body made of water. Superheated, it exploded into steam, but was replaced by _dozens_ of water forms. Reno had only a second to goggle before they attacked.

The advantage was decidedly to the water forms; they took several blows from pipe, spear, and fist to defeat. Once defeated, they exploded, showering the area in water. Reno couldn't risk another spell; even _he_ could still be hurt by lightning.

Over Tseng's snarled orders, Reno heard music playing. Turning with the battle, he saw Demyx bent over his instrument, plucking at the strings with a look of such _intensity_ on his face Reno realised he was controlling the water.

Reno cleared a space around him, swinging his pipe until he could barely lift his arm, and yelled a warning. "Tseng! It's him! He's—"

Three of the water forms tackled him, and Reno found himself engulfed in an amorphous blob. Instinctively he held his breath, but he was already winded from the fight and so struggled to breathe. He fought panic and his captors, but his lungs _hurt_ —

A rough hand grabbed the back of his neck, hauling him free just as he lost the struggle not to inhale. Coughing, Reno stumbled backwards and landed on his rump hard enough to knock the air back out of his lungs.

Another pair of water forms lunged at him.

Tseng's spear passed through one, a spell attached that destroyed it from within. Rude grabbed the second, his face a mask of fury.

Reno stared as the water changed shape to a music note, and the fury on Rude's face was replaced first with surprise, then a look of malicious delight disturbingly similar to some of Xaldin's smirks.

Demyx looked up from his instrument—

Five water forms converged on Rude—

And Rude swung the arm holding his captive, cutting through them in an instant. A single blow dealt from their weaponised fellow did far more damage than even Rude's fists could. What the hell, Reno wondered.

Tseng hollered something unintelligible and bolted past Rude, ducking under a backswing and bearing down on Demyx. The blond yelped like a child, striking a new chord and sending a wave of water to swamp Tseng—

Who was no longer on the ground.

When had Tseng learned to do _that_? Reno wondered as he landed on their opponent spear-first. That was one of Xaldin's moves! He didn't realise Rufus was spell-casting until the taste of mint filled his open mouth.

Demyx let out an inhuman shriek of pain and rage. Swinging his instrument up and around, he hit Tseng hard enough to knock him onto his back. He fell on Tseng, baring teeth that were suddenly impossibly sharp, but the spearman kicked up with both feet, catching Demyx in the gut—

And then Rude was there, soaked to the bone, putting his entire body behind a brutal punch that caught the musician right under the ribs. Demyx folded over his arm like a house of cards.

Unaccountably, Rude hesitated. He looked up, his eyes meeting Reno's, and he smiled.

Demyx bit his arm.

Rude _roared_ , shaking the cloaked man off his arm. Demyx hit the ground, rolling away from Tseng's vicious kick, and opened another portal. In the instant before he bolted, Reno thought he saw blood staining his lips.

Silence suddenly fell, broken only by Rude's soft steady curses. The only evidence that they'd been attacked was the water still on the ground, and the remnants of their ruined meal.

"What the _hell_ ," said Rufus, hands still on Reno's shoulders. The redhead had to agree.

A sound of rage escaped the prince's throat, and he went to Rude's side. Examining the arm, he repeated, "What the _hell_ ," but now there was worry in his tone. "Rude, you're bleeding!"

"Noticed," grunted the older boy.

Reno could picture the scowl on Rufus' face as he took Rude's arm in both hands. " **Cure.** "

Reno realised he was still holding the plum. Shrugging, he took a bite and nearly spat it back out. Damn mint-flavoured Cure spells... With a sigh, he joined the others. "Who _was_ that?" he asked, offering Tseng a hand up.

Tseng shook his head as Reno pulled him to his feet. "I don't know," he admitted.

"I don't think he's from Radiant Garden," Rufus added, looking up from Rude's healed arm with the predicted scowl. "Nobody here has teeth like that."

"That means he's from another world," Reno protested.

"No," said Tseng quietly. "That means the Organization is going to other worlds — and expanding."

The boys exchanged looks, then started cleaning up the remains of their lunch. Only once they were mounted and heading back to the castle did they speak again.

"Are we gonna tell Maleficent?" Reno asked.

"Yes," said Rufus and Tseng together.

Tseng continued on, "If she knows already, and we don't tell her, she'll think we're hiding things from her, and get strict with Rufus' outings again. If she _doesn't_ know, we're bringing valuable intelligence to supper — that the Organization has a new member who can control water with the skill of a master."

"And bites like a pike," Rude grumbled.

Silence fell again, to be broken by Rufus. "What if he comes back?"

"...we got lucky," Tseng said, looking back over his shoulder at Rude. "He looked surprised when you grabbed the water form — which means he didn't know about that weakness. Now he does. He'll be ready for us next time."

The rest of the ride was completed in silence.

~*~*~*~

The scent of flowers, saltwater, and blood assaulted Zexion's nose, and he looked up from his book in time to see IX stumble in, his mouth stained red. He raised one eyebrow at the Nocturne's dishevelled state. "Is something amiss?"

IX actually _jumped_ , hurriedly wiping at the bloodstains on his mouth, but then he gave Zexion a lackadaisical grin. "Nah, not at all. Just a slight mishap with the clone forms, that's all. I should've worked on 'em more before going after those kids."

IX was lying to him. Zexion didn't like that.

"So are you abandoning our end of the bargain?" he asked. If IX was as astute as Zexion believed him to be, he would hear the warning.

Sure enough, something like panic flashed across the other man's face. "No, of course not!" he hastened to assure Zexion. "Just regrouping and replanning. Can't go in without accounting for weaknesses, right?" His laugh was hollow, fake; then again, all their laughs were.

Zexion studied him thoroughly, inhaling slowly through the nose. The burst of flowers _(of home)_ was fading, but the blood was not. And when IX had laughed open-mouthed, his teeth briefly resembled _fangs_.

He pretended he hadn't seen, and revised his opinion of the Nocturne up another notch for allowing them all to believe him Atlantican. "Very well," he agreed. "One more time, then, when you feel you've accounted for... weaknesses."

And _he_ would look into the other worlds with merfolk denizens. It wouldn't do to underestimate Demyx again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow days on spring break mean writing! 
> 
> More than a third of this was written on receipt tape because I left my notebook at home. 
> 
> This is also not the first story in this series that I began during spring break, and it's not the first one I finished, but it was the one that needed to be posted first.
> 
> Many thanks go to:
> 
>   * Aly, for putting up with me sending chunks of this to her via picture message and for helpful suggestions while I worked through tough spots
>   * Ferret, for always encouraging my shenanigans and being generally willing to scream at me about the choices I've made
>   * MagicGenetek, for being hella enthusiastic whenever I burbled to her about this story
>   * Bex and Kat, for always being willing to read what I'm writing even when they know fuck-all about the fandom save for what I've babbled at them in excite.
> 



	2. Deep Freeze

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shaken by Demyx's attack, Rufus and his cadre search for an ally near a village that has spurned Maleficent's control.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work takes place a week after Tsunami.
> 
> This fic has been rated “T” for violence.

Rufus did not want to leave the Castle.

The Organization couldn't see him in the Castle, couldn't get to him when Maleficent's magic shielded him. They'd gotten lucky against Demyx— Rufus had already had two nightmares about the musician drowning his guards while he watched helplessly.

But the prince knew he could only stay protected in the Castle for so long before he caught a bad case of cabin fever, so he had agreed to an excursion beyond Maleficent's protections to seek another ally. At least they had a destination in mind — Rude knew of an independent village that the Chocobo Riders visited annually to trade with.

With a frustrated snort, Rufus guided his mount to Rude's side. "Tell me about these farmers," he demanded. Rude understood his meaning, but held his peace until all his thoughts were aligned.

"They don't believe they require the Dark Queen's… patronage," he said carefully. "They have… a means of defence against the Heartless."

Pale brows rose. "Oh?"

But Rude would say no more.

Frowning, Rufus let Rude pull ahead. Whatever it was the farmers used for protection, Rude didn't like it.

The walls of a village had just come into view when Tseng suddenly pulled up. "Who is that?"

Rufus followed his guard's gaze to see a youngster with long blond hair moving smoothly over a pond, almost as if they were skating over it. He blinked twice, then looked up at the blazing midday sun, then around at his companions — all were wearing sleeveless shirts due to the day's heat.

Rude's silence somehow became louder.

Reno broke it. "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin', boss?"

Tseng's black eyes glittered. "If she's the one who froze the pond—"

"No," Rude interrupted.

Startled, they all looked at him.

His hands were so tight on the reins the leather was creaking; his broad shoulders hunched up so that they nearly touched his ears. His jaw was set tight enough Rufus fancied he could hear the older boy's teeth grinding together.

"…no?" Tseng hazarded after a moment.

"Her name is Elena," Rude said, so soft that it was almost lost in the rush of wind. "And she is why Omelas Village feels it can spurn the Queen's protection."

The words rumbled into place like falling rocks preceding an avalanche.

Rufus looked at Rude again, at his clenched hands and clenched jaw, then turned his gaze to the girl.

There was something oddly familiar about her — but that was lost as it dawned on him that she was younger than he was. That she was so far from the village that, were Heartless to suddenly descend, she wouldn't be able to reach the gates.

That Rude had just implied she was the village's means of defence against the Heartless.

"Explain," he said, his tone implacable.

Rude, understandably, didn't know much.  But what he did know made both Tseng and Rufus look at the girl with new eyes.  She was strong enough, magically speaking, to be considered a prodigy. And she had been battling the Heartless almost since they had overrun Radiant Garden.

"The Heartless attacked when we were here trading some years ago," Rude explained. "Omelas offered us shelter. Elena walked outside the village, and dragged herself back in three hours later."

Tseng scowled.

Rufus kicked his chocobo, heading towards the girl. "Hi!" he called, waving a hand in her direction.

Elena's head snapped up, and she slipped on the ice she'd created a moment later. Later, Rufus would ruefully admit that the icy pond was likely the only reason she hadn't run from his surprising greeting.

She was on her feet with surprising quickness, but by the time she reached the grass the quartet were on the bank. Rude spoke before Rufus could. "Elena," he said, and actually smiled at her.

Vague alarm gave way to a startled expression, and Rufus wondered if anyone had smiled at her before. "You're not Omelan," she said, her voice still youthful, uncertain. "But I've seen you…?"

Rude inclined his head. "Yes," he agreed. "Two years ago, when my people came to trade."

Brown eyes swept to the other three, and Rufus took over. "We're not Chocobo Riders," he said. Reno made a noise of protest that Rufus ignored. "We come from the capital city to the south."

Elena shivered. "The Heartless always come from the south."

"There's reasons for that," Tseng grumbled, but Elena nodded as though she already knew them.

Rufus dismounted but, catching the look in her eyes, stayed by his white chocobo. Idly he stroked its neck, considering what to say to her. This close, the vague sense of _familiar_ was even stronger. It was irritating that he couldn't source the cause, but he kept his expression mild.

Her eyes stayed on him like she knew he was in charge, so he smiled — until she said, "Omelas is half a mile from here, if that's where you're heading."

Reno started to say something, but Tseng kicked him. "'S'a nice day," the redhead amended casually. "Surprised there's not more people with ya."

Elena's face closed off instantly. "The children play north of the village," she said.

And she played south, closer to the Heartless, nary an adult in sight. Rufus was beginning to see why Rude didn't like Omelas.

Tseng dismounted as well, handing his reins up to Reno and approaching the pond. "I'm Tseng," he said, his voice gentle for all the fury in his posture. "The redhead is Reno, the big one Rude. Our white rider is Prince Rufus."

Something like fear came into the girl's eyes, and she slid back a few paces. "The— prince?" Her voice was shaking; her hands were too. "I— what— what more must I do to atone…?"

What.

Rude inhaled like a dragon about to raze an unsuspecting village, and Rufus knew his target. Half afraid the bigger boy actually _would_ set Omelas on fire, he hurriedly said, "You don't have to atone! You don't have anything to atone for!"

She couldn't be any older than nine, ten at the most, he thought, fury curling in his heart at the confusion and fear in her face.

Reno dismounted as well, but he sat on the ground rather than scare her further. Sunlight gilded his red hair as he looked piercingly at her. "What're you atoning for?" he asked.

"I— my father," she said, hesitantly, looking from one to the other. "You're… if you're Prince Rufus… then you… then you know… my father… my father is why the Heartless…"

The truth struck Rufus like a bolt of lightning.

_Even_.

Tseng inhaled, exhaled. Soft and fell, he said, "My dear girl." The tone of his voice was so like Even, with a dose of Maleficent at her most maliciously pleasant, Rufus stared at him. Ignoring him, Tseng went on, "Rufus and I were both in the palace when the Heartless attacked. If it was the fault of any _one_ man, that man was not your father."

Elena's brown eyes were wide with disbelief, but she didn't answer.

Rufus stepped in, his voice now tight with the control he'd forced on his rage. "I am the Prince Regent of Radiant Garden," he said. "Ultimately, five men were responsible for her fall and transformation into this Hollow Bastion. Your father may have been a part of it — but _you_ are not accountable for his actions."

"I think," Rude rumbled, "that you have been badly used for your magic." His voice carried a warning aimed directly at Tseng. Rufus had never heard him speak that way before.

Wide amber eyes flicked from Tseng to Rufus to Rude, and Rufus noted with alarm that Elena had gone bone-white.

But Reno was suddenly at her feet and grinning up at her so winningly Rufus forgot to wonder how he'd gotten so close without seeming to move. "It's a lot to take in, yo," he said sympathetically. "But that lot, they ain't mad at you. In fact, you're exactly the kinda person we were hopin' to find out here."

Elena blinked twice, some of the colour returning to her cheeks, and Rufus made a mental note to thank Reno profusely. Taking his cue from the redhead, he agreed, "You are," and managed to dredge up a smile of his own.

"Why… why me?" Elena asked softly.

"Because we need your help," Rufus admitted. "The men who destroyed Radiant Garden — they've been trying to capture me for years. The one they sent last time — he's not one of them. Well, he is, but he wasn't then.  And we got lucky. We need a strong mage, because next time he shows up…."

"I guess I should thank you for the perfect cue, then," a tenor voice rang out.

Rufus whirled, but Reno was already on his feet and lunging for Demyx, iron pipe out and a Thunder spell on his lips. Sea-green eyes went wide and the musician stumbled back with a yelp, only narrowly avoiding a pipe to the teeth.

He struck a chord on his sitar and a thick ceiling of water appeared over his head, catching most of the lightning bolt and dissipating it to the sides. With a snarl on his lips, he played another chord, and water was yanked from Elena's frozen pond to swamp Rude and Reno.

" **Aerora**!" shouted Tseng, shielding both Riders from Demyx's onslaught.

Elena stared wide-eyed at the sudden fight, and Rufus had a sudden flash of panic that Demyx might attack her, too. "Run!" he yelled at her. "Get out of here, get somewhere safe—"

" **Dance, water, dance**!"

_Shit_.

Demyx had learned from the last time. Instead of swarming them with dozens of the water forms, he only used ten: Two to Reno, three to Tseng, and five to Rude. Rufus couldn't bear to watch, instead focusing on getting to Elena to guard her from attack. She didn't need to suffer any more.

All too soon, it was over; like a scene out of his nightmares, his three guardians lay motionless, drenched in seawater where none should exist.

A small, soft gasp escaped Elena as Demyx strode confidently towards them. " _Run_!" Rufus hissed again, then took five steps away from her, raising his fists. If they made it out of this, he promised himself, he would find a weapon and learn to use it.

Thankfully, Demyx ignored Elena, keeping his cruel green eyes on Rufus. "Give up already," he ordered.

"Make me," Rufus snapped back.

Demyx sighed like he was annoyed, then bent over his sitar and played a lively tune. Before Rufus realised what he was doing, a huge wave splashed from the hole Demyx had torn through the icy pond, bowling Rufus completely over before dragging him backwards onto the ice.

Shivering, he looked up at Demyx with a snarl on his lips.

"Give up," Demyx said again, with no hint of the bumbling persona he pretended to. "Or I'll kill them."

Rufus' eyes went wide, and he looked past the musician to his guards—

They were breathing, he realised in relief.

"Hey!" Demyx protested suddenly, and Rufus looked up to see Elena standing between them.

"Elena, no!" Rufus yelled. "Run! You're not part of this!"

"You asked me to be," she said, so soft he almost didn't hear her.

"Move," Demyx demanded, "or I'll give you what I gave them!" He jerked his thumb at the unconscious boys scattered behind him.

Rufus saw her hand tighten around the stick she held. "You can try," she declared confidently. "I'm Elena of Om— of Rufus' Guard! If you want him, you'll have to go through me!"

Demyx shrugged. "Your funeral," he said, then struck a too-familiar chord. "Dance **, water, dance**!"

Rufus watched in horror as the water forms arose from the puddles on the grass—

Elena raised her wand arm and pointed it at the rising tide. " **Freeze**!"

Rufus' and Demyx's jaws dropped simultaneously: every single water form had been frozen solid.

Elena was trembling, as though she'd put all she had into that spell, and Rufus was rather certain she had. If Demyx realised that—

" **Thunder**!"

Reno's voice was weak, hoarse, but still intelligible; lightning snapped through the air and struck Demyx head-on. The musician shrieked in pain, stumbling to the right—

" **Aero**!"

Tseng didn't sound much better than Reno. His spell struck the ground beneath Demyx's feet, churning it up and spinning him around—

Rude didn't bother with magic. With Reno's pipe in his hand, he bore down on Demyx before he could recover, cracking him so hard across the jaw they all heard bone break. He brought the pipe around again, but Demyx raised his sitar and caught the blow on the neck of the weapon, which he then shoved hard into Rude's gut.

In clear pain, Demyx fled, opening a portal and vanishing as though he'd never been there.

Elena's knees wobbled and she collapsed; Rufus only barely caught her. "Tseng!" he yelled. "I need an ether!"

Tseng didn't reply — he'd been coughing since he cast his spell, as had Reno — but seven seconds later an ether hit Rufus in the head and fell into Elena's lap.

Hilarious.

He snatched up the ether and jostled Elena a bit. "C'mon, open up," he urged her. "You used up all your magic on those things, you gotta replenish it."

Elena made a faint whining sound, but she opened her mouth, and he popped the cube inside. The face she made when she chewed carried surprise, and Rufus realised she'd never had one before.

_"Elena walked outside the village, and dragged herself back in three hours later."_

Suddenly, terribly, Rufus understood what Rude meant.

"Ow," said Elena weakly.

Looking down, Rufus realised he was holding her too tight, and loosened his grip. "Sorry," he said, a little sheepish.

"So," said Reno, plopping down on the grass beside them. "Rufus' Guard, huh?"

Elena flushed. "It sounded better than 'Omelas,'" she mumbled.

The redhead's laughter was interspersed with more coughing. "Yeah, it does. Wanna make it official?"

" _Not_ under that name," Rufus said. It was too close to Royal Guard. He kept his eyes were on Tseng, knowing the older boy was likely wondering about Di— about Xaldin. "We'll think up another one. Tseng?"

"Reno, Elena, you stay here," he said. "Rufus, Rude, the chocobos spooked. We're going to get them."

"What if that guy comes back?" Elena protested.

Rude looked smug. "Can't cast with a broken jaw," he said, then started coughing.

Rufus scowled. "No one's going anywhere until I heal the lot of you," he said. "Now, come here."

It was just as well he had a natural talent for the Cure spell, Rufus thought as the older boys submitted to his order.  Otherwise he'd never be able to repay them for guarding him. 

* * *

 

He, Rude, and Tseng were halfway to the village when Tseng suddenly signalled a halt. A rider was approaching then, their missing birds on a leading string. The trio waited, Tseng with a restraining hand on Rude's shoulder.

He has to reach up to do it now, Rufus suddenly realised. Rude's half a head taller. When did _that_ happen?

Then the rider reined to a halt, canting her head to one side as she looked them over. "These yours?" she asked, indicating the string. But her eyes were past them now, looking to where Reno still sat with Elena.

"Yes," Tseng said shortly. "They spooked when we were attacked."

The girl bit her lip. "Heartless?"

"No," Rufus said. She was clearly Omelan, which did her no favours in his eyes.

Before he could tell her so, she blurted, "Is Elena all right?"

"Why do you care?" Rude demanded, glowering.

Her cheeks reddened with anger. "Don't blame _me_ for how Mother and the other adults treat her!"

" _Rude_ ," Tseng said, his voice a dire warning. Rude grumbled, but fell silent; the girl looked affronted.

Rufus took over damage control. "Rude here dislikes how Elena's been treated. So does Tseng. And so do I, Prince Rufus."

The girl paled, but held her chin high. "Then you know it's _your_ name they threaten her with."

Rufus nodded unhappily; _that_ was something he would rectify. "And since they saw fit to do so, I'm sure there will be no objections when she leaves with us."

Her eyes went wide, and she looked past them again. Her lips moved soundlessly, then she took a deep breath and met Rude's eyes. "Everyone knows you can trust the Chocobo Riders," she said, offering Tseng the string of chocobos without looking at him. "And Elena deserves better."

"Yes," said Rude, holding her gaze. "She does."

They held eye contact for nearly a minute longer, then she abruptly dismounted, handing the reins of her bird to Rude. "I taught Elena to ride," she said quickly. "I'll cover for you. Hurry."

Rufus blinked. "Why are you—"

"We grew up together," the girl said. "Mother and the rest, they treat her worse than the farmers treat their birds— no, their ploughs. I think Mother _hates_ her." She looked deeply saddened. "She doesn't deserve this. She doesn't deserve Mother's hate. She's only _ten_."

There was a degree of guilt and self-loathing in her voice that Rufus knew well. "She'll be safe with us," he promised her softly. "She saved me today."

"And I will teach her," Tseng added, sounding older than his fifteen years.

Surprise warred with relief on her face. "She needs one," she said. "She's the strongest mage in Omelas."

The boys exchanged looks. "There are others?" Rufus growled.

"The healer. He listens to Mother about Elena."

Perhaps Maleficent would be interested to discover Omelas could no longer defend against the Heartless.

"If something happens," Rude said, his mind clearly going down the same path as Rufus', "seek out the Chocobo Riders. Tell them Rude sent you."

Tseng glowered at both of them, but said nothing. Instead he turned back to the girl. "Castle Town is a few hours' ride south of here. And chocobos easily outrun Heartless."

She nodded. "I won't forget." She bowed to Rufus, then turned and began walking back to Omelas.

With a muffled oath, Tseng swung himself astride his usual mount, a placid black bird with a fondness for Reno's hair. "Let's head back," he said, leaning forward to smooth down some of her feathers. "Elena needs rest."

Rufus knew better than to argue. But as the five of them made the return trip, he plotted how best to make Omelas regret their treatment of Elena.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many thanks again go to all my writing peeps, who put up with me taking pictures of handwritten story and then texting the pictures to them while I'm at work. Especial thanks go to Aly, who really had to put up with most of this, along with me whining about being bored because work was dead.
> 
> ~*~*~
> 
> So among other things while writing this fic, I worked out the exact age differences of the Turks and Rufus, since their birthdays are scattered across the year. _Glaciate_ as a whole takes place roughly midway between the Fall of Radiant Garden and Kingdom Hearts One.
> 
> The ages of the characters in this work, from oldest to youngest, are:
> 
> Demyx - 16  
> Tseng - 15  
> Rude - 14  
> Reno - 12  
> Rufus - 11  
> Elena - 10
> 
> Rufus, Reno, and Rude have all had their birthdays; Tseng and Elena's are coming up in fall and winter.

**Author's Note:**

> Slow days on spring break mean writing! 
> 
> More than a third of this was written on receipt tape because I left my notebook at home. 
> 
> This is also not the first story in this series that I began during spring break, and it's not the first one I finished, but it was the one that needed to be posted first.
> 
> Many thanks go to:
> 
>   * Aly, for putting up with me sending chunks of this to her via picture message and for helpful suggestions while I worked through tough spots
>   * Ferret, for always encouraging my shenanigans and being generally willing to scream at me about the choices I've made
>   * MagicGenetek, for being hella enthusiastic whenever I burbled to her about this story
>   * Bex and Kat, for always being willing to read what I'm writing even when they know fuck-all about the fandom save for what I've babbled at them in excite.
> 



End file.
